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Topic: Sighting in, seeing out(wards) (Read 1443 times)

Most all of us have at least a red dot or some variant thereof on a rifle. Some of us have a red dot on a pistol. One characteristic of running a dot-sight is that you don't treat it like a front sight. That is, you do not shift your focus from the target to the dot once you bring the weapon into line. Ideally, you maintain a target focus and let the dot show up. If you've done your job sighting it in, where the dot is, the round will go. This drill is designed primarily to condition you to proper use of the dot-sight, but can be extended to iron sights or other optics.

It's rather simple. Select or place a target point somewhere. Move the rifle/shotgun/handgun into firing position. Make sure you look at the target point, do not shift focus to the dot. Once in position, start looking for details of something to either side. Do not shift focus from the target point, just pick out something in side/peripheral vision and 'see' it enough to describe it in some detail or describe some detail about it. If you have a pet wondering about the room to your front, track the animal. Do all this without 1) taking your focus off the target point and 2) losing the position of the dot.

Hold a few seconds while tracking 'outside' like this, lower the weapon, recover for a moment, repeat. Change position, change angle if you want. Have someone toss something from behind you to your side and call it when you see it moving through. Have someone present something at the side somewhere and describe it to them. Throughout, maintain target focus, which means eyes front, and know where the dot is.

You will have to relax your vision in a sense and expand some form of awareness. If you notice yourself tensing up mentally or visually, stop, breath slowly, consciously relax. It may be that you should halt that session and call it a day. The expansion of vision and target focus with the dot-sight is what we're looking for here.

This can be done with iron sights or other optics as a means of fostering peripheral awareness, but is primarily meant to condition you to the proper use of dot-sights.

Logged

Shikan haramitsu dai ko myo.

In Shadow In Light - Studying and advancing the art and the science of the fight.

Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight, and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One hundred percent and then some.

CR, I think this is somewhat the same thing Roger Phillips is talking about in his Point Shooting and quote of "seeing what you need to see to make the hits you needed to make. See what part and as much of the gun/sights you need to make the shot.

You focus on the threat (target) but see what you need to see of the gun/sights to make the hits.

I have put Speed Sights on all my XD guns (http://www.speedsights.com/) the large orange front sight is there without really looking at it when you bring the gun up into line of sight. I am looking through the sights without really looking at/focusing on the sights.

In most situations my thoughts are that you will lock onto the threat and not see your sights so learning to shoot that way before the time it's needed should be a good thing.

Logged

"Is this persons bad behavior worth me having to kill them over?" Guantes

"If you are not training in “the reality of the fight” you are training to a lower standard." Roger Phillips

It's not exactly that, Bill. (I'm going through the Brian Enos book that Roger references, by the way. Enos says much the same thing.) This is specifically designed to help people run dot-sights correctly. It can be expanded to other sight types, but the main point is to condition yourself not to pull focus to the dot. What Roger and Enos speak of is not the same as what I'm aiming for here.

This is also something you should do if you are running a laser on a gun. Common mistake people make with lasers is to hunt the dot. Very dangerous, as it slows down the shot. With lasers and with dot-sights, maintain target focus and target focus only. The dot, wherever it is, is perceived but only that, not concentrated on.

If you're going to get the quickest accurate shot off with these kinds of sights, this is an important point.

Logged

Shikan haramitsu dai ko myo.

In Shadow In Light - Studying and advancing the art and the science of the fight.

You know, Bill, the more I think about it, the more I think you're right, though that wasn't what I was thinking when I was considering this drill. It does fit the 'see what you need to see' concept. In this case, you need to see the target point and the dot, but you need to see it differently than you would see the target and your front sight lined up on it.

Some of that Enos book appears to be working it's way through the subconscious.

Logged

Shikan haramitsu dai ko myo.

In Shadow In Light - Studying and advancing the art and the science of the fight.

To me it does, because when I shoot I am locked on the spot on the target I am shooting at. But I am still seeing what I need of the gun/sight, depending on the distance, I need to make my hits.

At half hip there is little to no input from the gun but bring gun up to 3/4 hip and gun starts to come into the vision and there is input to the brain from what you are seeing even though you are not looking at the gun.

Increase the distance to where gun is in my line of sight, while I am not looking at the sight getting a sight picture the gun and sights are there in view for reference needed.

I see using a red dot being the same you should look at the target and the dot moves to where it needs to be. Focus is on target not the dot. Even back to the days I could see iron sights I did not use them the right way according to those who know. I got my good sight alignment then locked on target with the sights blurred.

Oh well I am who I am and my way seems to work for me. But because I don't feel I do most things the right way I give very little instruction to others as to this is the way it should be done.

Logged

"Is this persons bad behavior worth me having to kill them over?" Guantes

"If you are not training in “the reality of the fight” you are training to a lower standard." Roger Phillips